Owl's Head Park and the Bliss Mansion therein, 1929. The house seen here at the edge of Owl's Head Park was built pre-1850 by Henry C. Murphy. Murphy was a Brooklyn native and career politician who served as Mayor of Brooklyn, U.S. Representative, U.S. Minister to the Hague, and New York State Senator. It was during his tenure as State Senator that he drafted and signed the bill which authorized the construction of the Brooklyn Bridge. He also founded and was an editor of the Brooklyn Daily Eagle. The home was purchased in 1866 by Eliphalet W. Bliss, the manufacturer whose huge factory was located in Brooklyn Heights/DUMBO. Bliss died in 1903 and in his will he offered his million-dollar property to the city for the low price of $835,000 with the stipulation that it would be used solely for parkland. The area became an official park in 1928, though the mansion, stables, and other estate buildings were not fully demolished until 1940.

Purchased by the Dutch East India Company from the Nyack Native Americans in 1652, this area was originally called Yellow Hook after the yellow clay found in the soil. Recurring yellow fever epidemics in the mid 19th century caused the name to lose favor and it was changed to Bay Ridge in 1853—a nod to its location by the bay and the terminal moraine created by receding glaciers thousands of years ago along what is now Ridge Boulevard. During the Revolutionary War, British troops utilized Bay Ridge’s Denyse Ferry Wharf for their landing on August 22, 1776 to fight the Battle of Brooklyn a few days later, and for their evacuation at the end of the war in 1783. Built by a Dutch landowner who ran a ferry to Staten Island, remnants of the landing still stand today just south of the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge overpass. After the Civil War, the magnificent views overlooking the bay inspired the construction of extravagant mansions, which transformed the neighborhood into one of Brooklyn’s wealthiest suburbs by the end of the 19th century. Shore Road, which makes up the westernmost point of Brooklyn and profits from the best views, was particularly exclusive. On the current site of Fort Hamilton High School stood the Crescent Athletic Club, the center of Brooklyn’s fashionable society at the turn of the century. Completed in 1892, it featured athletic fields, tennis courts, a golf course, boathouse and magnificent Shingle Style clubhouse with a glass-enclosed dining room overlooking the bay. Visitors included Presidents Theodore Roosevelt and William Howard Taft, and aviators Wilbur and Orville Wright. Due to the arrival of the 4th Avenue subway in 1916, the population of Bay Ridge doubled between 1910 and 1924. To accommodate this growth, many of the mansions were replaced with apartment houses and blocks of rowhouses. Commercial thoroughfares on 86th Street, 3rd Avenue, 4th Avenue and 5th Avenue transformed the neighborhood into a thriving urban community. In the early 19th century, the population was largely made up of Scandinavians and Italians. Over the years, Bay Ridge has also become home to Irish, Greek, Arab, Chinese and Russian communities, as well, rendering it a fantastic example of a neighborhood that thrives on different cultures living in close proximity to one another—a hallmark of the New York City experience. Today, the richly varied architecture of Bay Ridge tells its story. The neighborhood is made up of vibrant commercial districts, uniform rowhouse blocks, historic wood frame farmhouses, Victorian mansions, magnificent places of worship, pre-war apartment buildings and quaint cul-de-sacs. It also benefits from several scenic parks, including Owl’s Head Park at the northwestern tip of the neighborhood, which commands views of the Bay. At the opposite end of Bay Ridge, on its southeast corner, lies Fort Hamilton, New York City’s only active military base. Named after Alexander Hamilton, the Fort functions as a military induction center and is home to more than 1,500 military personnel. In 1990, the Bay Ridge Conservancy was established to preserve, protect, and enhance the built and natural environments of the area. Their recent work includes the beautification of Third Avenue, one of Bay Ridge’s four commercial thoroughfares, as well as seeking landmark designations for a variety of public buildings, State & National Register of Historic Places listings for its cul-de-sac blocks, a National Scenic Byways designation for Shore Road, and advocating for the responsible renovation of the Belt Parkway, constructed in 1940.

Before Owl’s Head Park, this property was the estate of Henry Cruse Murphy, Mayor of Brooklyn, U.S. Congressman, New York State Senator and founder of The Brooklyn Eagle. In 1866, he met other politicians here to formulate the agreement for the construction of the Brooklyn Bridge. In that same year, he sold the estate to Eliphalet W. Bliss, a wealthy pressed metal manufacturer. Bliss constructed stables and an observatory tower, and upon his death in 1903, willed the estate to the city for use as a park. Locally the park is still referred to as Bliss Park. Its buildings were left to deteriorate and were all demolished before 1940. In 1994, the park was restored and an equestrian-themed playground was installed on the site of the stables.

Located in the Brooklyn neighborhood previously known as Yellow Hook (today Bay Ridge), Owl’s Head Park is tucked along the water in the neighborhood’s northern most section, offering spectacular views of the bay and nearby New Jersey.

Owl's Head Park Located in the Brooklyn neighborhood previously known as Yellow Hook (today Bay Ridge), Owl’s Head Park is tucked along the water in the neighborhood’s northern most section, offering spectacular views of the bay and nearby New Jersey. In 1856, Henry Cruse Murphy – former Brooklyn mayor, founder of the Brooklyn Daily Eagle, and first director of the Long Island Historical Society (now Brooklyn Historical Society!) – built his estate on the site that would eventually become Owl’s Head Park. In 1881, one year before his death, Murphy sold the property to Eliphalet W. Bliss for $80,000. A successful local manufacturer, Bliss made his fortune producing metal containers and munitions. Wanting to spruce the grounds up a bit, Bliss added a horse stable, greenhouse, and observatory tower to the property. Upon his death in 1903, he offered the land to New York City for $835,000 along with the stipulation it be kept and maintained as a public park. In 1934, NYC Parks Commissioner Robert Moses turned his attention to these twenty-seven acres the city had at that point largely neglected, transforming it into a city project. Regrettably, he approved demolition of the Bliss estate along with the observatory tower, greenhouse, and horse stables. Historically, Moses was known for not liking “old buildings” very much. The park’s name is shrouded in mystery since owls have never lived on the grounds. Some claim the land is in the shape of an owl’s head, some say it’s because of the two owl statues that once adorned the entrance gate of the Murphy/Bliss estate, which seems the most likely. Although, these owls may have been built after the name was already in place. It is a mystery lost to the passage of time